Sunday, April 27, 2014

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has declared his two predecessors John XXIII and John Paul II saints in an unprecedented canonization ceremony made even more historic by the presence of retired Pope Benedict XVI.

Francis recited the saint-making formula in Latin, saying that after deliberating, consulting and praying for divine assistance "we declare and define Blessed John XXIII and John Paul II be saints and we enroll them among the saints, decreeing that they are to be venerated as such by the whole church."

Benedict was sitting off to the side with other cardinals in St. Peter's Square during the rite at the start of Sunday's Mass. He and Francis briefly greeted one another after Francis arrived.

The woman's husband, writing on Facebook, claims that the Pope –
introducing himself as "Father Bergoglio" – spoke to his wife, who'd
been divorced before marrying him and told her that men or women who
were divorced and received Communion weren't doing anything wrong. He
apparently added that this matter is under discussion at the Vatican.
(Quick health warning: given the complexity of this subject, we need much more clarity on what Francis reportedly said. I find it hard to believe that he would make such an unqualified statement...) - continued..

The age 21
rule sets the United States apart from all advanced Western nations, and
it has pushed kids toward pills and other anti-social behavior.

(Time) The
National Minimum Drinking Age Act, passed by Congress 30 years ago this
July, is a gross violation of civil liberties and must be repealed. It
is absurd and unjust that young Americans can vote, marry, enter
contracts, and serve in the military at 18 but cannot buy an alcoholic
drink in a bar or restaurant. The age 21 rule sets the United States
apart from all advanced Western nations and lumps it with small or
repressive countries like Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Indonesia, Qatar, Oman,
and the United Arab Emirates.

Congress was stampeded into this puritanical law by Mothers Against
Drunk Driving (MADD), who with all good intentions were wrongly
intruding into an area of personal choice exactly as did the
hymn-singing 19th-century Temperance crusaders, typified by Carrie
Nation smashing beer barrels with her hatchet. Temperance fanaticism
eventually triumphed and gave us 14 years of Prohibition. That in turn
spawned the crime syndicates for booze smuggling, laying the groundwork
for today’s global drug trade. Thanks a lot, Carrie!... (continued)

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Requests for clarification have been coming to the Archdiocese of
Dublin concerning the authenticity of alleged visions and messages
received by a person who calls herself “Maria Divine Mercy” and who may
live in the Archdiocese of Dublin.

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin wishes to state that these messages and
alleged visions have no ecclesiastical approval and many of the texts
are in contradiction with Catholic theology.

These messages should not be promoted or made use of within Catholic Church associations.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis made his first public plea for forgiveness on Friday for the "evil" committed by priests who molested children, using some of his strongest words yet on the Roman Catholic Church's sexual abuse crisis.

The Argentine-born pontiff said the Church, which last month named a high-level group on the scandal including an abuse victim, had to take an stronger stand on a scandal that has haunted it for more than two decades, and indicated there would be repercussions for perpetrators.

"I feel compelled to personally take on all the evil that some priests - quite a few in number, (although) obviously not compared to the number of all priests - to personally ask for forgiveness for the damage they have done for having sexually abused children," he told members of the International Catholic Child Bureau.

"The church is aware of this ... personal, moral damage carried out by men of the church, and we will not take one step backward with regards to how we will deal with this problem, and to the sanctions that must be imposed.

"On the contrary, we have to be even stronger. Because you cannot interfere with children," Francis said in unscripted comments as he addressed the children's rights body.

The comments, originally in Spanish, were translated by the Vatican Radio news service.

Francis did not specify whether "sanctions" would be church-enforced or involve civil justice authorities. In February the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child accused the Vatican of systematically turning a blind eye to decades of abuse and attempting to cover up sex crimes.

The scathing report urged the church to immediately hand over its records on the abuse of tens of thousands of children, immediately remove anyone suspected of abuse from their post and refer the matter to civil legal authorities. The Vatican called the report unfair and ideologically slanted.

Francis' words strike a different tone to comments he made in March to an Italian newspaper in which he defended the church's record.

"JUST TALK"

Criticism that Francis has not taken a bold enough stand on the issue, and did not meet sexual abuse victims in Italy and in a July trip to Brazil, has been a rare black spot in the overwhelmingly positive response to the pontiff in the 13 months he has been in office.

In particular, abuse groups have called on the church to discipline bishops accused of moving known child molesters from parish to parish, allowing abuse to continue.

"It's nice to have expressions of concern. But actions need to happen, and people have been waiting an awfully long time for that to occur," said Terry McKiernan, founder of BishopAccountability.org, which documents abuse cases.

"The best thing he could have done today would have been to step up to the microphone and announce that he is beginning to remove bishops who have behaved criminally in keeping priests in ministries where they don't belong, moving them around so that they continue to be a danger to children."

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), which advocates for child protection and urges greater transparency in the church, said Francis' words should be received with caution.

"We beg the world's Catholics: be impressed by deeds, not words. Until the pope takes decisive action that protects kids, be skeptical and vigilant," SNAP Outreach Director Barbara Dorris said.

"This may be the first time a pope has talked of sanctions against complicit bishops. But that is all it is: talk."

Under Francis' direction, the Vatican announced in December the creation of a new dedicated group to help the church deal with the abuse crisis. Its members were named in late March.

The body of clerics and lay people includes Marie Collins, a survivor of abuse in Ireland in the 1960s who has campaigned for the protection of children and for justice for victims.

Collins, a founding trustee of the Irish abuse victims' organization One in Four, has in the past pushed for punishment for bishops who failed to implement church rules on the protection of children.

Child abuse litigation has cost the Catholic Church some $3 billion in settlements in the United States alone, and shaken the moral authority of leaders of the world's largest religious denomination.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

The program speculates that “new
evidence may prove the Vatican is hiding actual aliens from the public.”
Either that or the channel will rename itself the Sci-fi Channel.

The priest who directs the Vatican
observatory, Dr. Jose Funes, was interviewed for the program, and he
made the rather unexceptional remark that the universe is so huge that
“it would be possible that life could evolve the way we know it on
Earth.” This is soon followed by a voiceover that says, “Vatican
officials have publicly acknowledged the likelihood of alien life. This
dramatic reversal of Vatican policy demands an explanation. What does
the Church know, or what have they found that causes them to reverse a
2000-year-old teaching?”

While we’re demanding that the Vatican
provide an explanation for its “policy” on aliens, I would like to
demand an explanation from the Science Channel: Must one be nuts to work
there?

It gets better. Evidence of alien life,
we learn, is available in the “Vatican secret archives.” But thanks to
the Science Channel, it is a secret no more. “The Vatican secret
archives is approximately 52 miles of shelving we’re told, and over
32,000 archives.” The guy who said this did not disclose who told him
this “secret,” but who needs evidence? Then a voiceover gets really
melodramatic: “But the secrets hidden within the Vatican can’t stay
buried forever. Now new evidence may prove the Vatican is hiding actual
aliens from the public.” That’s right—they can’t play “hide and seek”
forever. Send in the Navy SEALS.

The program also claims that skulls with
elongated heads and small faces, resembling aliens, were found in 1998
under the Vatican Library, but that access to the site has been denied. A
voiceover asks, “Could these skulls be the remnants of aliens who once
lived in the Vatican?” Either that or the Vatican employs coneheads to
work in its “secret” archives.

Monday, April 7, 2014

"Sister Jane has a doctorate in sacred theology from the Pontifical
University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. She is a member of the
Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation, which founded and runs
Aquinas College."

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) — Reaction to a Dominican sister’s
presentation on human sexuality at a North Carolina school has prompted
“speculation from many sides,” but few among those commenting about it
“were actually present to hear the talk,” said an April 4 statement from
Aquinas College in Nashville, where she is an associate professor.

The college was referring to a March 21 presentation by Dominican
Sister Jane Dominic Laurel at a Charlotte Catholic High School student
assembly. Titled “Masculinity and Femininity: Difference and Gift,” it
drew the ire of many students and parents and sparked an online petition
with more than 3,000 names.

About 900 people packed the school gym the evening of April 2 to criticize the assembly and the school leaders who arranged it.

School and diocesan leaders arranged the meeting to hear from
concerned parents and explain the intended purpose of the assembly.
There were comments from parents who supported the school and the
presentation, but most of the comments were critical. Two observers
called the meeting’s climate “disrespectful” and “hate-filled.”

In its statement, Aquinas College said, “The events and discussions
that have transpired over the last two weeks reflect that there is
something in this that surpasses an ordinary high school assembly.”

The college said it was “saddened by this extreme outcome and wishes
to reiterate that this is not something the college condones or desires
to create. There is division where there should be unity.”

Some parents at the Charlotte meeting said they felt betrayed by
school administrators for not being told about the all-school assembly
beforehand. Other parents objected to some of the material Sister Jane
presented about the alleged causes of same-sex attraction and the way
she presented it.

Aquinas College said: “We believe it is our privilege to bring the
best aspects of our faith tradition to bear on the moral and cultural
questions of the present age. In her presentation, Sister Jane Dominic
spoke clearly on matters of faith and morals.”

However, “her deviation into realms of sociology and anthropology was
beyond the scope of her expertise,” it said, adding that Sister Jane
has cancelled her speaking engagements “and, at her request, is
preparing to begin a sabbatical from teaching at Aquinas College.”

According to officials at Charlotte Catholic High School, Sister Jane
spent about half of her hourlong talk in March on homosexuality,
including attributing a correlation between the decline of fatherhood in
America and the rise in homosexuality.

“Sister is a trained theologian from a pontifical university and has
the credentials to contribute to scholarly bodies of work. This she has
done in the past with distinction,” Aquinas College said. “The
unfortunate events at Charlotte Catholic High School are not
representative of the quality of Sister’s academic contributions or the
positive influence that she has had on her students.”

It added, “The students at Charlotte Catholic were unprepared, as
were their parents, for the topic that Sister was asked to deliver. The
consequence was a complete misrepresentation of the school’s intention
to bring a message that would enlighten and bring freedom and peace.”

Sister Jane has a doctorate in sacred theology from the Pontifical
University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. She is a member of the
Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation, which founded and runs
Aquinas College.

Her presentation was based on a series of instructional videos she created for Aquinas College.

According to the website www.newmanconnection.com, where Sister
Jane’s videos are posted, her presentations focus on the differences
between the genders, the role of the family in nurturing each child’s
unique gifts, the importance of real friendships and emotional intimacy,
and the impacts of contemporary culture and the media on our concepts
of sexuality.

About a week after her presentation, Sister Jane told the Catholic
News Herald, Charlotte’s diocesan newspaper, she has given similar talks
more than 80 times in 25 states.

Aquinas College said it firmly believes “all men and women are
created in God’s image and likeness and are made with a capacity to love
and be loved. The college supports the Catholic Church’s teachings
which are open to the diverse needs and desires of all, which must be
considered in light of eternal truths.”

“We support and affirm that every man and woman, regardless of his or
her state in life, deserve respect, and that the health of any culture
is gauged according to the capacity of its members to uphold their own
beliefs while respecting the beliefs of others,” the statement said.
“The college’s patron, St. Thomas Aquinas, was known for his ability to
thoughtfully consider all things and retain what is true, regardless of
the source of that truth.”

The college said it hoped the Charlotte high school community “will soon begin a process of healing and renewal.”

Friday, April 4, 2014

....In the culture war for the future of mankind, Putin is planting
Russia's flag firmly on the side of traditional Christianity. His recent
speeches carry echoes of John Paul II whose Evangelium Vitae in 1995
excoriated the West for its embrace of a "culture of death."

What did Pope John Paul mean by moral crimes?

"Many Euro-Atlantic countries have moved away from their roots, including Christian values. Policies are being pursued that place on the same level a multi-child family and a same-sex partnership, a faith in God and a belief in Satan. This is the path to degradation." - Vladimir Putin

Washington Post columnist Anne Applebaum writes that she was stunned
when in Tbilisi to hear a Georgian lawyer declare of the former
pro-Western regime of Mikhail Saakashvili, "They were LGBT."

"It was an eye-opening moment," wrote Applebaum. Fear and loathing of
the same-sex-marriage pandemic has gone global. In Paris, a million-man
Moral Majority marched in angry protest.
Author Masha Gessen, who has written a book on Putin, says of his
last two years, "Russia is remaking itself as the leader of the
anti-Western world."

But the war to be waged with the West is not with rockets. It is a
cultural, social, moral war where Russia's role, in Putin's words, is to
"prevent movement backward and downward, into chaotic darkness and a
return to a primitive state."

Would that be the "chaotic darkness" and "primitive state" of mankind, before the Light came into the world?

This writer was startled to read in the Jan-Feb. newsletter from the
social conservative World Council of Families in Rockford, Ill., that,
of the "ten best trends" in the world in 2013, number one was "Russia
Emerges as Pro-Family Leader."

In 2013, the Kremlin imposed a ban on homosexual propaganda, a ban on
abortion advertising, a ban on abortions after 12 weeks and a ban on
sacrilegious insults to religious believers.

"While the other super-powers march to a pagan world-view," writes
WCF's Allan Carlson, "Russia is defending Judeo-Christian values. During
the Soviet era, Western communists flocked to Moscow. This year, World
Congress of Families VII will be held in Moscow, Sept. 10-12."

Queen Elizabeth gifted Pope Francis with a bottle of whiskey from Balmoral, along with a basket of jams and other drinks produced on the royal family's estate, ABC News reports.

Her Majesty and His Holiness exchanged gifts during a brief, informal visit by the Queen to the Vatican Thursday. The trip marks the first time that the two have met, and Queen Elizabeth was accompanied by her husband, Prince Philip.

For his part, the pontiff gave the queen a gift for her great-grandson, Prince George, who is about to embark on his first trip overseas to Australia and New Zealand.

Keep up with your favorite celebs in the pages of PEOPLE Magazine by subscribing now.

In honor of George's travels, Pope Francis chose a precious stone globe with a cross decoration.

He also gave the queen an antique parchment from 1679 with a message that translates to "to the city and the word," and which the pope traditionally delivers at Christmas and during Easter.

(Chartlotte Observer) Nearly 1,000 parents gathered at Charlotte Catholic High School
on Wednesday night to air complaints about a recent speech to students
by a nun who made what many considered inflammatory comments about gays
and lesbians, divorce and single parenthood.

So many parents lined up to speak that the meeting with high
school officials, the school’s chaplain and the Diocese of Charlotte’s
vicar of education lasted more than an hour longer than scheduled.
Though the gathering was closed to the media, texts and tweets
from parents inside the school gym cast the meeting as often heated,
with emotions running high on both sides.

Diocese spokesman David Hains acknowledged after the meeting that
the Rev. Matthew Kauth, the school’s chaplain, apologized to the
parents for a March 21 speech by Sister Jane Dominic Laurel that was not
the one he expected her to give.

Hains also said the high school committed to developing new
policies that would better scrutinize visiting speakers in the future.
He said the school also wants to do a better job of communicating with
parents ahead of time when such speeches will deal with sensitive
subjects such as sexuality.
“Parents should have been better informed,” Hains said.

During her speech, Laurel quoted studies that said gays and
lesbians are not born with same-sex attractions, and that children in
single-parent homes have a greater chance of becoming homosexual, Hains
and others said.

Susan Traynor of Matthews, whose son is a sophomore, said he is
usually pretty quiet when she picks him up from Charlotte Catholic High.

But on the day Laurel spoke to the assembly, she said, he spoke right up when he got in the car.
“He said, ‘We had the worst assembly today,’ ” Traynor recalled.
“He said he tried to leave with some others, but they were made to sit
down. There are students in this school who are openly gay and some who
are not out yet. Obviously, they felt bullied.”

Parents who spoke Wednesday night got up to three minutes at the
microphone. The meeting started at 7 p.m. and ended just after 9:30.

Some defended Laurel, saying she was presenting traditional
Catholic teachings. But Hains and others said the majority of parents
who spoke did not agree with the nun or many of her comments.

And some expressed anger at the school for inviting her, for not
stopping her when she veered off script, and for not telling parents
ahead of time what she would talk about.

“You asked us to trust you. You betrayed our trust,” one parent told the gathering, according to a text to the Observer.

Though the Observer and local TV stations were told to leave the
campus during the meeting, a reporter from the Catholic News Herald, the
diocese’s newspaper, was allowed in the meeting to cover it.

Before being ordered off the high school property, some Charlotte
Catholic High School alumni and parents of former students passed out
wristbands critical of the nun’s remarks on gays and lesbians. The
wristbands read “We are all God’s children.”

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

(The Independent) Starbucks has apologised for serving a Louisiana Catholic teacher two drinks drizzled with '666' and a Satanic symbol.

Schoolteacher Megan K. Pinion used social media to vent her anger, posting a photograph of the "Satanic" drinks accompanied by a long post explaining the situation on Starbucks' Facebook page.

"This is how my coffee was served to me. I unfortunately can’t give the young man’s name who served it because I was so appalled that I could not bring myself to look at him,” she wrote.

"The star is almost okay because it is in your Starbucks logo, the 666, however was quite offensive. I am in no way judging his beliefs or dis-meriting his beautiful artwork, I am however judging his lack of professionalism and respect for others."

She added: "I am a teacher in the public school system and if I were to present a child of atheist of pagan believers with a Christian art project I could be sued in a heartbeat.

"I am of Catholic faith and would love to share my beliefs daily. Fortunately I have enough common sense to present myself with professionalism and follow and ethics code. Perhaps that could be suggested to that particular location."

The number '666' is often associated with the Antichrist and is used to invoke the devil in Satanic rituals. The inverted five-point star- sometimes known as the 'Seal of Satan' - is also used by devil-worshipers.

The fear of the '666' is known as Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia and causes people to become nervous and agitated. Famously, President Ronald Reagan changed the address of his Bel Air mansion on 666 St. Cloud Road to 668 St Cloud to avoid 'the mark of the Beast'.

A spokesperson for Starbucks said the coffee giant apologised to Ms Pinion after seeing her post on Facebook and is investigating the issue.

The Starbucks barista who served the 'Satanic' drinks has not been identified.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

(Wisconsin State Journal) Just a few weeks after his election last spring, Pope Francis stunned
papal observers by washing the feet of two women during a Holy Week
ritual.

The rite — on Maundy Thursday, just prior to Easter Sunday
— re-enacts Jesus’ washing of the feet of his 12 male disciples at his
Last Supper. Traditionally, popes washed the feet only of men.

Catholic
traditionalists believe the men-only rule should remain — at least for
everyone below the pope — and many canon lawyers say church law agrees
with that position. However, some dioceses in this country had begun
including women long before the pope’s example, and a statement on the
website for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops says that to include
women is “an understandable way of accentuating the evangelical command
of the Lord.”

Three years ago, Madison Catholic Bishop Robert
Morlino issued guidelines that gave priests the option of either using
only men or not celebrating the ritual at all. Given the heightened
attention to foot-washing last year, some parishioners thought Morlino
might re-evaluate his position.

That has not happened. Brent King,
the diocesan spokesman, said priests have the same two options this
year — men-only or no ritual. Holy Thursday Mass falls on April 17.
Easter is April 20.

As has become his tradition, Morlino will
celebrate Holy Thursday Mass at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in
Downtown Madison, King said, where he will wash the feet of 12
seminarians.

Last year, at least two priests — at Our Lady Queen
of Peace in Madison and Nativity of Mary in Janesville — took a pass on
the ritual due to the male-only rule.

I am sure that you have all seen this piece by now from this liturgy site HERE. My emphases and comments:

New Ecumenical English Missal

A rumour has been growing about a possible review of the Roman Catholic missal translation, but no one anticipated the announcement of a New Ecumenical English Missal Project,
which will mean that the words for the whole Eucharist will be the same
across a number of significant English-speaking denominations. [Wound't haters of the new translation be thrilled?]

Pope Francis, ever taking people by surprise, in only the second year
of his papacy, pointedly, on the feast day of a woman saint, St
Theodora (April 1), is formally signing [So... did he sign it "informally" earlier ... or not sign it at all?] the declaration that he has the agreement of significant English-speaking churches and ecclesial communities to work [discrimination against the insignificant!] towards a new Ecumenical English Missal... (continued)

(IBNLive) Germany's labor ministry has banned managers from calling or emailing staff out of hours except in emergencies. The ministry says the measure is intended to prevent staff from suffering undue stress by being constantly on call.

Daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported Friday that the ministry is following the lead of major German companies such as automaker Volkswagen and Deutsche Telekom.

The newspaper cited official guidelines stating that no staff should be penalized for turning off their cellphone or failing to pick up messages after working hours "to prevent self-exploitation."

“How many voices in our materialist society tell us that happiness is to be found by acquiring as many possessions and luxuries as we can? But this is to make possessions into a false god. Instead of bringing life, they bring death.”- Pope Benedict XVI

"This past Wednesday I was in part of the hospital that was devoted to people who have memory problems like my father. The people here may have no idea who I am but they light up at the sight of a collar. People who cannot carry on a conversation click “on” and join in prayer as if there were little wrong with them, their faces relaxing in this moment of peace amidst the chaos of illness."- Fr. Valencheck

"The priest's life is not his own. He does not live it for himself and his personal fulfillment, but for the salvation of souls."- Fr. Richtsteig

"I am convinced that if we simply follow the liturgical books, say the texts and carry out the gestures properly, in a style continuous with our tradition, the Church’s liturgy has power the capture minds and hearts and transform them.

I starting forming this conviction before I became a Catholic through my experience of Novus Ordo Masses done in an entirely Roman traditional style, closely following the books.

The late Msgr. Richard Schuler would eventually articulate to me in words what I was experiencing in the church. "Just do what the Council asked… do what the Church asks."

Why is worship well executed according to the mind of the Church so effective?

Christ is the true Actor in the sacred action of the Church’s worship. He makes our hands and voices His own as He raises our petitions and offerings to the Father for His glory and our salvation.

Christ’s Holy Church has determined the way by which we may have this encounter with mystery in the liturgy, be taken up in the sacred action.

Although we have the right to our Rite celebrated as the Church desires, liturgy is not about me or us or even you in the pews." - Fr. Zuhlsdorf

"After celebrating Mass facing the Lord I can report these favorable effects from the priest's point of view:

1. I don't have to worry about where to look
2. I don't have to worry about what my face looks like
3. I can weep at the beauty and wonder of it all without concern
4. I can worship more freely and fully
5. I feel more at one with the people of God
6. I am on a journey to God with the people
7. I am not the focus of attention
8. The elevation of the host and the Ecce Agnus Dei have become more of a focus
9. I feel more part of the great tradition
10. I can't see who's not paying attention and feel I have to do something to get their attention back." - Fr. Longenecker

"My rector in Denver, when he was a young priest, was eating dinner at his secretary's house, a widow from Sicily. Thinking he was polite he said, 'If you wish you can call me Michael.' She stopped, put her hand on her hip, and, pointing at him with her wooden spoon, said, 'Don't think I call you Father because I think you're better than me! I call you Father to remind you who you're supposed to be and how you're going to be judged by our Lord!' He passes that lesson on to all his seminarians."- Fr. Andrew

Decalogue Against Temptation

1. Do not forget that the devil exists.
2. Do not forget that the devil is a tempter.
3. Do not forget that the devil is very intelligent and astute.
4. Be vigilant concerning your eyes and heart. Be strong in spirit and virtue.
5. Believe firmly in the victory of Christ over the tempter.
6. Remember that Christ makes you a participant in His victory.
7. Listen carefully to the word of God.
8. Be humble and love mortification.
9. Pray without flagging.
10. Love the Lord your God and offer worship to Him only.